To ask Health care staff treating me if they've had their covid vaccine?

[BearEastie]

I am immunosuppressed. I've been vaccinated but they don't know how well it will work yet.

I would prefer to only be treated by staff who had been vaccinated, thus if they said no I would ask for limited contact or a swap in nursing etc.

Just read shocking statistics from the hospital I am due to go to next month for a two week stay and I am starting to freak out just a little bit.

lightand I work for an nhs trust

I can assure you many have the changed their mind now that people are realising how it will impact their lives not to

The government are now reviewing the covid vaccine passport this will not only impact how we can travel but also jobs we can apply for

@Hamsterfan I don't actually know if I am being swabbed. They did ask me to confirm that I would self isolate for two weeks but the person I spoke to said "oh your on the shielding list so that doesn't matter"

This thread is really helpful because I am realising there's actually a lot more I need to ask about!

Unless the vaccine stops transmission then vaccine passports make no sense at all. It would be more of a pat on the back to vaccinated people to say well done for reducing your risk of severe illness. But if you can still spread it you are still as big a risk (if not more due to the false sense of security from having had the vaccine) to everyone else. As with most recent government decisions, this one would be completely nonsensical. I have had the virus and am at less risk of catching and spreading it than most people so why should I have to have a vaccine? Would you give the MMR to someone who has already had measles, mumps and rubella? What would be the point? Natural immunity trumps vaccine induced immunity because the latter wanes.

But what about any other illnesses or diseases staff may carry or pass on? There must be all sorts of viruses etc other than covid that people don't get vaccinated for but could affect you?

@callmeadoctor I have been thinking a lot about this, and I looked into it as well - some are very worrying (flu, whooping cough (this because there's an age range that missed a vaccination which is what causes most outbreaks seemingly)).

Things like MMR etc. have very could uptake rates (around 95%) and are not as easily transmitted as covid.

Right not my concern is covid.

Hcp here. I woui wouldn't mind and would say yes. But have a colleague who hasn't due to fertility treatment not anti vaccine. She d rightly so not want today but is super careful as she is vaccinate so could actually be safer than me

@lightand

Thank you for the updated link. I'm really curious to know whether you have any other sources for medical and health related information than that august publication. Daily Mail & BBC

Not exactly heavyweights, are they ?

Hmm lm somewhat sceptical about COVID vaccine becoming mandatory. It’s not for the flu, healthcare staff are encouraged to have it but can’t be forced.

Oh and if someone was to contact us to who was and who wasn’t vaccinated then we wouldn’t say. We wouldn’t say 85% are and we wouldn’t name individuals e.g. Jean has, Dave hadn’t etc. Data protection / GDPR would prevent that, even if we wanted to say (which we don’t)

I'm not asking the hospital to name the individuals who have and haven't been vaccinated - it's already out in the public that a huge percentage of the hospital have refused the vaccine.

I was going to ask the individual themselves - obviously there's other things I can do first thanks to this thread.

I’m a HCP and I’ve had the vaccine, well the first one only at the minute. But I would be happy being quizzed my everyone about whether I’ve had it or not.

I have not being given a badge, a sticker or a lanyard either.

I can imagine on some wards/clinics if you asked and the nurse said no and you declined care then they wouldn’t necessarily be able to find someone else to look after you. What if the other nurse who has had her vaccine has been put in the other bay because she also did a shift in that bay yesterday so she knows the patients?

Not everyone can have the Oxford vaccine....I know someone who can’t have either of them due to her medical history. She’s a HCP as well.

Hep B are mandatory for some professions. As a midwife I’ve had to have it. If you don’t have it you can’t work on a labour ward, you can’t do home deliveries and you can’t take blood.....so you’d struggle to get a job because it means you can’t do most of your job. I believe paramedics also have to have it....to the extent when there was a hep b vaccine shortage a couple of years ago the new paramedic students were a year late going onto placement as they hadn’t had it and weren’t allowed on placement without it. Signing a disclaimer saying you know the risks wouldn’t cut it because the risk ultimately is to the patient from the HCP! The HCP gets it from a patient and then passes it on to others. Most nurses and doctors don’t have to have it but midwife, paramedics and surgeons do.

Sorry I would NOT be happy being quizzed. It’s my private information. I would answer because I get some people are nervous.......but I wouldn’t be happy. I don’t get asked if I’ve had flu vaccine, I don’t get asked if I’m HIV negative....

Also I don’t think the ward managers/shift managers will know who has and hasn’t been vaccinated. I’m assuming my private medical records stay with Occy health.

So there’s nothing to stop an unscrupulous HCP fibbing to patients, even to colleagues and saying they’ve had it when they haven’t.

Most nurses and doctors don’t have to have it but midwife, paramedics and surgeons do.

Our antibody levels were checked before we were allowed on the ward in 97 (med student)

Even if they've had the vaccine, they can still pick up and pass the virus on to you. The difference is the vaccine means the individual will be less affected by symptoms, apparently.

If you've had your vaccine, you'll be more protected anyway.

I work in healthcare and haven't had my vaccine and won't be having it. I've had covid anyway so have antibodies.

@VivaLeBeaver

Sorry I would NOT be happy being quizzed. It’s my private information. I would answer because I get some people are nervous.......but I wouldn’t be happy. I don’t get asked if I’ve had flu vaccine, I don’t get asked if I’m HIV negative....

Exactly this.

I hate how covid has brought out this whole Them vs. Us mentality.

I think the general public would be shocked at how many healthcre professionals don't themselves practice in modern medicines, have vaccines etc. Like when nurses on the cancer wards are smokers themselves.
We are all humans and entitled to our decisions; no-one should be discriminated against for that.

Please don't worry. When you arrive, explain you are immmunocompromised and request that you are seen by a vaccinated member of staff. Then you aren't asking personal questions and the staff will be aware. NHS staff don't want to infect you so will probably appreciate the extra info and will do their best to ensure you are seen by vaccinated staff. Believe me, they will be doing all they can to keep you safe and will want you to feel relaxed and reassured.

I don't want to be asked either (I have had the vaccine, as have the rest of the team I work with).

What will happen if no one on duty has been vaccinated? Sounds unlikely but really isn't tbh.

I hate how covid has brought out this whole Them vs. Us mentality.

To be fair this was always around with health care workers, even before the pandemic.

And attempting to do everything I can to lessen risk to others, whilst doing everything I can do lessen risk to myself is not a Them vs Us mentality at all.

What will happen if no one on duty has been vaccinated?

There's going to be a problem then isn't there? I guess I will leave the admission and that will cause further knock on consequences.

Yebanksandbraes Thank you.

We are all humans and entitled to our decisions; no-one should be discriminated against for that.

I am also entitled to my own decision which is not to be treated by a non-vaccinated person. Surely my decision should be listened to as well?

Are you always this anxious OP?

Probably just during a pandemic.

@BearEastie

You would not be at any greater risk of catching covid from me in my PPE, than I have been of catching it from all the patients I've seen in all the time before the vaccine was available.

That's actually a really vile attitude

I don't agree that this statement of fact is in any way a 'vile attitude''

It's simply a fact. You are not at any greater risk of catching Covid from a HCP who is wearing appropriate PPE

But, although I can understand your fears, I think you are totally unreasonable to ask any HCP for private health information at any time.

You are entitled to make your fears/concerns known to the medical staff treating you, but it will not make any difference to which HCP's you are treated by, as they are not entitled to ask staff for private medical information either. But you can ensure that no HCP comes near you without wearing the appropriate PPE simply by being observant and polite but insistent.

Covid has changed all our lives, and not for the better. We are in uncharted territory with the vaccines and how they will affect transmission.
However we are not living in a dictatorship, and your personal/private medical information is not going to suddenly be made available to anyone who wants to know about it and it will never be your right to demand to know anyone else's vaccine status.

You are going to have to decide whether you want/need this medical treatment, knowing you cannot have control over the HCP's who will provide it and whether they have had the vaccine or not. ( You also won't be able to 'police' visitors to the ward/area either)

P.S A lot of the consultants/ doctors and medical students have also declined to have the vaccine in my area, as have a lot of secretaries, porters, cleaners, receptionists etc, all of whom have been mixing with their families, been shopping, mixing with other HCP's in staff break areas etc too.

I wish you the very best with your health, and I hope everything goes well for you with the treatment you need.

Will this go both ways, with HCPs able to refuse to treat people who were offered a vaccine and refused it?

@updownroundandround it is vile because the Poster is actually saying "well Ive been at risk thus no one else should be entitled to be safe".

If PPE worked in hospitals then staff wouldn't have been prioritised for the vaccines hey? They were, and they wanted to be (well the majority of them did). It's rubbish to say that staff wearing PPE do not pose a risk to patients - many of them admit they do, themselves.

Thanks for the well wishes though.

@DianaT1969 I have already answered that question with my response a few posts back.